Stress affects all ages, but it can worsen as you age, especially if you are dealing with additional illnesses. It’s important to manage your stress, as it can cause a wide range of problems, including increased blood pressure, mental health problems, and body aches. So, in order to stay healthy and happy, here are seven steps for managing stress as you age.
1: Find a Community
Isolation as a senior can cause stress, especially if you are usually a social butterfly. To combat loneliness, find a community to integrate yourself into and make lots of friends. You can usually find clubs and communities on notice boards and online community groups.
If you are suffering from health problems on top of loneliness, consider an assisted living community, as it’ll provide access to healthcare as well as the opportunity to make friends. Residents at Brightview assisted living in Baltimore, MD state that you should begin your search early, as waiting lists for premium communities fill up quickly.
2: Prioritize Your Health
Many factors contribute to stress, with one of them being poor health. To ensure your stress levels are kept to a minimum, see your doctor as often as you should and focus on living a healthy lifestyle. That means eating well, going for walks, and taking any medications you need on time.
3: Keep Yourself Busy
When you are left alone with your thoughts, stress can grow, so avoid this by keeping busy throughout the week. Rest days are important, too, but if you spend too long doing nothing, you’ll soon find yourself agitated. Read books, meet up with loved ones, and start a new hobby to combat boredom.
4: Spend Time Outside
Fresh air is like medicine for the soul. If you’ve reached the age where you no longer work, then you might find you’re leaving the house less and less, which means losing out on that important dose of vitamin D. So, to keep a positive mindset while getting a boost of exercise, make sure you spend at least a little time outside each day.
5: Keep in Touch with Loved Ones
As you grow older, it becomes more and more important to keep your loved ones close. So, invite your family around for dinner, meet up with friends, and give someone you haven’t spoken to in a while a call—you’ll feel much happier at the end of it.
6: Set Some Goals
The act of reaching goals is an important part of human happiness. When you retire, you might feel a little aimless, which in turn can lead to stress. To avoid this, set yourself some achievable but reasonably challenging goals, such as reading a certain number of books in one year, learning how to knit a jumper, or successfully growing a vegetable patch.
7: Reach Out if You Need Help
If you feel as tough your stress is building to the point that you can’t manage it alone, do not hesitate to reach out for help. Tell your loved ones you’re struggling, call a hotline, or talk to your doctor—do whatever you can to find the extra care you need.